Cubs' Rusin throws no-hitter for Iowa; Cougar honored

While we await Cubs-White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, we have news that lefty Chris Rusin tossed a no-hitter for Class AAA Iowa this afternoon. The I-Cubs beat New Orleans 3-0 on the road, as Rusin worked 9 innings, giving up 2 walks while striking out three. He threw 118 pitches in running his record to 2-4 with a 3.58 ERA.

Rusin, who has seen major-league time the past few seasons, was up with the Cubs on April 12, and he pitched 5 innings in relief of Carlos Villanueva in a 10-4 loss at St. Louis. Rusin gave up 3 hits and 1 run that day, but more important, he saved the bullpen.

Today’s no-hitter was the first for an Iowa pitcher since Reggie Patterson in 1984.

Elsewhere in the minor leagues, outfielder Jorge Soler was back in Class AA Tennessee’s lineup after battling a hamstring injury.

The Cubs today named Iowa lefty Tsuyoshi Wada and Kane County Cougars catcher Will Remillard the organization’s minor-league pitcher and player of the month for April, respectively.
Wada, 33, went 3-1 with a Pacific Coast League-leading 0.68 ERA (2 ER/26.1 IP) in 4 April starts, walking just three and striking out 29. His 0.65 WHIP led the league while his .156 opponents’ batting

In his first year since signing with the organization in January, Wada is 4-1 with a 1.21 ERA (5 ER/37.1 IP) in six starts for the I-Cubs this season. He has struck out 38 compared to just six walks, and has held the opposition to a .171 batting average (22-for-129).
Wada pitched nine seasons for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Japan Pacific League from 2003-11, going 107-61 with a 3.13 ERA (503 ER/1,444.2 IP) in 210 games (207 starts). He signed with Baltimore as a free agent prior to the 2012 season, but underwent Tommy John surgery that May. In three minor league seasons between Baltimore’s and Chicago’s systems, he is 9-8 with a 3.56 ERA (54 ER/136.2 IP) in 25 starts.

Remillard, 21, batted .373 (19-for-51) with 6 doubles, 1 home run and 15 RBI in April, his first month in professional baseball since he was selected by the Cubs in the 19th round of the 2013 draft. The right-handed batter finished with a 1.007 OPS, including a .458 on-base percentage and a .549 slugging mark. He walked six times and struck out just seven times.
Remillard had five multi-hit efforts, including a pair of four-hit games, April 17 at Dayton (a game in which he drove in five runs) and April 23 vs. Beloit.

A native of Cohoes, N.Y., Remillard is hitting .385 (25-for-65) with 8 doubles, 1 home run and 21 RBI (tied for fifth-most in the league) in 19 games for Kane County this season.

More to come later, including a possible roster move in the wake of reliever Pedro Strop’s groin injury last night.

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Chicago's Inside Pitch

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Bruce Miles and Scot Gregor

Bruce Miles has been covering the Chicago Cubs for the Daily Herald since 1998, and major-league baseball since 1989. He grew up in Chicago and is one of those rare birds who followed both the Cubs and White Sox.

Along with Cubs radio announcer Pat Hughes, Bruce co-authored the book, "Harry Caray: Voice of the Fans."

He checks in on the fan blogs and is a daily reader of Baseball Prospectus.

Scot Gregor has been covering the Chicago White Sox for the Daily Herald since 1994, and major-league baseball since 1990.

He grew up in Pittsburgh, where he idolized Roberto Clemente. Scott graduated high school in 1979, when the Steelers and the Pirates were both the best in the world.